Identifying Effective Indicators in Educating Citizens to Minimize and Separate Waste from the Source with a Mixed Approach

Waste is not only problematic in terms of health and environment, but also in terms of transportation, collection and disposal. The aim of this study was to identify the effective indicators in citizenship education for minimization and segregation of waste in 1399 in the provinces of Tehran, Shiraz, Saveh and Khomein.

This research is an exploratory research from the perspective of the purpose, which is mixed with the research method and is based on deductive-inductive reasoning. The statistical population of this study consists of experts including university professors and municipal managers. Non-probability and purposeful sampling and data collection tools are semi-structured interviews and fuzzy Delphi questionnaire. For the analysis of specialized interviews, the qualitative thematic method has been used. Also, the identified indicators have been validated by fuzzy Delphi method.

Research data analysis was performed in the qualitative phase with MaxQDA software and in the quantitative phase with Matlab software.

The results of the interviews were analyzed by content analysis method. In the open coding stage, 517 codes were identified. Finally, 11 axes (main category) and 45 indicators (subcategory) were obtained through axial coding.

The results showed that in order to educate citizens to minimize and separate from the source of waste, a bedding is needed that is appropriate to the educational goals. Among these, the principles of curriculum education and the determination of educational behavioral goals are of great importance. Also, appropriate educational needs assessment and the principles of selecting educational content and organizing it in order to achieve the goals of citizenship education as a facilitating factor. In general, the principles of selecting teaching-learning methods and approaches based on it and considering the analysis and determination of the evaluation system and the role of the teacher in the appropriate educational environment, will lead to respect and responsibility for the environment in high school students.